Composite nut



O. HAAS COMPOSITE `NUT l Filed Julyv 8, 1944 Illlllu nnentor 07750 HAAS' Gitorneg Patented Sept. 17, 1946 COMPOSITE NUT Otto Haas, Richmond Hill, N. Y., assignor to Aircraft Screw Products Company, Inc., Long Island City, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 8, 1944, Serial No. 544,029

16 Claims.

The invention relates to a composite nut comprising two parts, viz. a barrel and a thread coil insert. In a nut of a type here under consideration the insert is usually coiled of an elongated metal element such as a wire and is positioned between a bottom flange and a top rim of the barrel. Both the ange and the rim protrude inwardly from the substantially cylindrical inner barrel surface, and the thread-constituting portions of the coil convolutions project inwardly beyond the innermost diameter of the flange and the rim.

In a conventional nut of the mentioned type, when in use, the entire tension of the screw connection of which the nut is a part, and which tension is the sum of the axial forces acting on all the coil convolutions, is taken up by that portion of the inwardly protruding barrel flange Zone on which the coil bears. Furthermore, if the nut is applied to a bolt in an oversized hole of a member upon which the nut bears with its bottom surface it may happen that only a Zone corresponding to the barrel Wall cross-section is supported rather than the total bottom surface consisting of that zone plus the inwardly projecting ange. In such an event the flange will also be subject to bending and shear forces tending to squeeze flange :material into the hole between the bolt and the wall of the hole. It is, of course, possible in most cases so to dimension the coil Wire, the inner liange area, and the barrel in radial direction, and also the thickness of the flange in axial direction, that the occurring forces can be withstood with ordinary material. However, this would mean that in general the composite nut would have to be considerably larger than the usual one-piece nut with the result among other disadvantages that such nut would not be applicable where space is too restricted. By selecting a very high grade material of great toughness and hardness for the barrel, the dimension may be held within desirable limits. However, apart from the cost of such material,` its working into a nut barrel would increase the required labor and might even render the application of certain methods of production impossible, particularly if according to a conventional method the top rim of the barrel is turned inwardly upon the top convolution of the coil after the insertion of the latter in the barrel.

The invention aims, therefore, to improve a composite nut of the `mentioned type with a view to render the ilanged barrel better t to withstand the occurring stresses, and it has for an object the provision of new means and methods whereby the pressure per unit area of the barrel flange can `be reduced and whereby the strength of the nut can be increased. The invention comprises a connection of the barrel wall and the insert so as to cause the barrel wall to receive and transmit to its support at least a portion of those forces which usually are borne by the flange alone. The invention also comprises other means and methods applicable additionally to or separately from the aforementioned to increase the carrying capability of the flange.- 'i f Further objects -and details of the invention will be apparent from the description given hereinafter andthe accompanying drawing showing several embodiments thereof by way of example. In the drawing, Y Fig. 1 is a cross-section of a nut comprising barrel and thread coil according to my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the coil prior to its insertion into `the barrel of the nut;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the coil;' Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the nut of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a cross-section of a modied thread coil separate from the barrel; Fig. 6 is a cross-section of a modied barrel for use with the coil of Fig. 5 prior to its insertion; Fig. 7 is a cross-section of another modied nut; 1

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a portion of a wire prior to being wound into the thread coil of Fig. '7;

Fig. 9A is a cross-section of still another modication; and i j Fig. 10 is a cross-section of the thread cording to Fig. 9 prior to its insertion into the nut barrel. i

Referring now to the drawing, Figs. 1 to 4 illustrate a nut according to the invention and consisting of the barrel I and the thread coil or insert 2. The barrel has an interior cylindrical surface 3 and is provided with an inner bottom flange 4 and a top rim 5 turned down from its original position indicated by dotted lines upon the top convolution of the insert 2 after the latter has been inserted into the barrel. j A groove 6 is provided at the upper top corner where the rim 5 is turned over to press the coil against the bottom flange 4." Such a groove is provided in order to facilitate the turning over of the rim in a proper manner, since otherwise there is a dangerA of the top convolution being forced radially inward whereby the inner diameter of the latter might be undesirably restricted. Oi course, a similar result may be obtained if groove 6 is omitted and the entire rim-forming portion of Ythe barrel is originally provided with an inner diameter larger than that of the coilcoil acreceiving portion. The peripheral surface of the nut barrel may have any suitable and conventional shape, and may for instance be hexagoal as indicated in Fig. 4.

The insert 2 has an outer cylindrical surface, the diameter of which is substantially equal to that of the barrel surface 3. It is formed of a wire or out fromaY cylinder as e. g. disclosed` in my Patent Number 2,358,707, issued September 19, 1944. The cross-section of the convolutions is to be selected according to the type and size of the bolt threading for which the n-ut is destined and according to the load to which the nut is to be subjected. In the illustratedl example, the cross-section of a convolution consists of an inner triangular portion 1 for engagement with the thread groove of a, conventional V`thread ing, and of a rectangular outer portion 8 on which the triangle is erected and which engages the cylindrical surface 3 when the coil is inserted in the barrel. The coil convolutions bear one upon the other with the rectangular portions of their cross-sections and the top and? bottom surfaces 9 and IB respectively of thel coil may be plane, i. e. at right angles to the nut axis a.. The tri-angular portions 1 of the convolutions project inwardly from the rim and the bottom so that they may be engaged by thev threading of a'bolt (not shown).

Now it will be clear that if the nut is used in a screw connection, the load of the connection will be transmitted through the coil convolutions to the flange 4 upon the top surface I I of which the convolutions bear with a more or less considerable pressure per unit area. The pressure can be reduced if according' tothe invention the coil convolutions are bonded to the barrel wall with or without the aid of additional means, so that at least a portion of the axial force will be directly transmitted from the coil to said wall. In my aforementioned application a way leading in this direction has been indicated. It consists inrthat the coil is originally produced with a diameter according to that of the inner barrel surface- 3. but with gaps b between the convolutions as shown in Fig. 2. The coil is inserted into the barrel while the toprim 5 is in erected position. Then the coil is subjected to an axial compression sufficiently high to force the convolutions into contact with each other. Thereupon, i. e. while the coil is thus compressed, the top rim is swaged or otherwise tilted down so as to hold the coil permanently in its compressed state. The occurring reduction of the total coil length is accompanied with an increase of the coil diameter so that the convolutions exercise a strong radial pressure on the barrel wall. The resulting high friction acts as a bond between the coil andthe barrel wall in axial as well asin circumferential direction with the effect that a considerable axial load will be directly transmitted from the one to the other. In consequence, a portion of the bottom face I2 of the barrel outside the ring zone corresponding to the width of the flange will contribute to transmit forces to the top surface of the member on which the nut in use cornes to bear, and relieve the top flange surface accordingly.

The effectiveness of the measure described can be increased when a portion of the torque to be transmitted between the two elements of the nut is taken up by other means. For this purpose, the top surface of the coil may be provided with indentations, roughening or grooves I6 as clearly shown in Fig. 3, so that material of the barrel rim is forced into such groove by the mentioned swaging operation.

Although, as stated hereinbefore, very considerable frictional forces can be set up between the coil and the barrel wall, in certain instances it may be found rather diflicult to apply tothe coil an axial compression as high as may be desirable for the indicated purpose without preloading the barrel flange surface to an inadmissible extent. In other words, in order to prevent such axial compression from affecting the flange and, particularly, its top surface I0, it may be necessary'to apply the compressing force to the threadforming portion l of the coil convolutions rather than to the outer portions of the convolutions.V

This, however, involves the danger of overloading the threading. Obviously, there is a certain relationship between the axial force required to close the original gaps between the convolutions on the one hand, and the width b of the gaps on the other hand. Hence, it may be preferable to make the gaps originally smaller than necessary to set up a friction as high as otherwise desirable and to substitute for the balance by additional means for bonding the coil to the barrel wall. For this purpose, in the embodiment of Fig. l, the coil is spotwelded at various points of the circumference to the barrel as indicated vat I3. It will be clear that it is also possible to doy without any axial compression of the coil for the purpose of setting up high friction between the coil and barrel, and to rely entirely on such other bonding means. In other words, the coil may be made fitting the barrel and without any gaps b from the start, that means in the final form of Fig. 1, and may then be spot- Welded to the barrel. In this manner also a sufl`iciently large portion of the axial forces may be directly transmitted from the coil convolutions to the barrel wall, to reduce the pressure acting on the flange surface.

Similarly, it is possible tomake the coil in the form last described but with roughenings, indentations or grooves I6 to be engaged by material of the swaged top rim of the barrel, If such Vnut is applied to a bolt and particularly a tight fitting bolt, the initial torque will be transmitted between barrel and coil so that the threads of the bolt can enter the nut threading. The bolt, however, will exercise a wedging action on the engaged coil convolutions with the result Vthat the latter are radially expanded, whereby friction will be set up of a quality similar to that obtained by the aforedescribed axial compression of the coil. Hence, also in this manner a portion of the load can be taken up by the barrel wall to release the load on the flange.

From the viewpoint of minimum pressure per unit area of the flange surface which in a oom-V posite nut of practical dimensions will be always relatively very small, it is of great importance that the coil bears uniformly on the largest possible portion of the available surface, the ideal which usually cannot be reached being thatV the total flange surface is engaged by the bottom face of the coil. Now I found that it is extremely difficult to make the corner between the barrel wall and the top surface of the flange exactly fitting the shape of the outer bottom corner or edge of the insert coil. Occurring differences, however, between the top corners will prevent the lowermost coil convolution from correctly seating on the top surface of the flange and consequently will cause local overload'of the flange at such limited spots Where the coil actually bears on that surface. In order to avoid such happening, I apply a narrow peripheral groove I4 similar to the mentioned groove 6 also 'at the edge formed by the barrel wall and the top flange surface. With respect to groove I4 it is essential that it extends in width upwards exactly from the plane of the top surface of the flange, and it should be as narrow and shallow as possi-ble in View of its purpose. This groove will safeguard that the coil can flatly seat with its entire lower surface on the top surface of the flange, and that substantially the entire flange surface can contribute in supporting the axial load transmitted by the coil convolutions.

In the modified form of coil and barrel illustrated in Figs. and 6 prior to the assembling, coil 2' has a plane top face 9 but a helically curved bottom face I5. Accordingly barrel I' has a bottom flange 4' with a correspondingly shaped helical top surface I I so that the coil can snugly engage at least a substantial portion thereof. In the event of such structure the groove I4 between the flange 4' and the side wall of the barrel should exactly follow the helical contour of the top surface II' of the flange as clearly shown in Fig. 4.

The helical surface II can be produced in various manners, e. g. by a cutting or tapping operation whereby the material originally complementing the flange 4' to one of equal thickness is removed. However, in consideration of what has been said hereinbefore, it is preferable to provide the helical surface by a process wherein the flange of originally equal thickness is subjected to compression with the aid of a punch or die which has a correspondingly curved `working surface and is applied interiorly of the barrel to the top surface of the flange. If this is done the desired` shape of the surface I I will not only be produced but also the material of the flange will be densifled so as to withstand a greater load and particularly a greater pressure per unit area. It will be clear that in order to increase this desirable result the flange may originally be of a thickness larger than that of the thickest flange portion in the finished barrel. It will also be clear that the method of compressing the ange material in order to increase its resistance to occurring stresses may as well be `applied to a barrel in which the flange in its finished form is of uniform thickness such as the flange 4 in Fig. 1.

In the foregoing, the occurrence of undesirably high stresses has been considered only so far as they may affect the barrel flange. However, the

stresses to which the barrel wall is subjected must L be likewise taken into account. In this respect, it will be noticed that considerable radial forces may act on the barrel wall owing to the fact that a bolt engaging the nut threading will exercise a wedging action on the coil convolutions tending to expand the latter. Thus the barrel may be subjected to radial pressure no matter whether or not the coil was originally inserted under axial compression as hereinbefore mentioned. In addition thereto, the axial forces have to be taken into account which are to be transmitted by the barrel wall in relieving the flange from part of its load and which increase progressively from the top towards the bottom of the nut. In order to take care of the combined stresses acting on barrel wall and flange in a high strength composite nut while still keeping the radial dimensions in desirably low limits, a remedy would seem to consist in the selection of a higher grade material for the barrel. However, as stated hereinbefore,

it is not advisable to use a barrel material which is very hard and tough, because of the requirement of turning the top rim of the barrel over upon the inserted coil. Neither is it advisable to select a material to be hardened after the nut is otherwise completed, because such hardening process would be apt to destroy the required qualities of the coil insert. For this reason, and this is also part of my invention, I make the barrel preferably of a material which can be hardened, and subject the lower portion of the barrel prior to the insertion of the coil, that means while the top rim portion is still in erected position, to a hardening process, leaving the stopportion and particularly that portion which is intended to form the top rim, in its original non-hardened condition. Thereafter, the coil may be inserted and the top rim turned down as hereinbefore described. Even if it is desired only to strengthen the flange portion of the barrel regardless of the lower wall portion, the densifying of this material by local hardening is preferable to the 'aforementioned densifying or strengthening of the material by compression, particularly in the event of helical flange surfaces such as II', because of the differences in the grade of compression between the lower and the higher portions of the flange on both sides of the step at I1 in Fig. 6. Of course, it is also possible rst to densify the flange material by compression and then, e. additionally, to apply the local hardening as described. In ,hardening the barrel it is recommended to provide between the hardened bottom and the soft top, a zone in which the degree of hardness progressively decreases from the hardest to the softest. In other words, the highest degree of hardness should extend from the bottom surface of the barrel to approximately the thickness of one or two convolutions above the flange, as indicated by the dotted line I8 in Fig. 4. This will take care of the maximum forces acting on the barrel wall and simultaneously provide for a flange capable of withstanding high pressure per unit area. In a middle zone approximately according to that between lines I8 to I9 of Fig. 4, the hardness should progressively decrease to the original relative softness of the material above the line I9. This is consistent with the decrease of the forces acting on the barrel wall and which increase from the level of the top of the coil to the level of the flange. The gradual changey of the structure of the material in the middle Zone also reduces the danger of a formation of cracks or fissures or of deformations of the barrel owing to the hardening treatment. Otherwise the hardening may be accomplished by any suitable and conventional process. In order to obtain the desired result, I have found the well known method of induction hardening particularly useful.

Figs. 'l and 8 illustrate another method of closely attaching the insert to the barrel. In this modication the inner wall `of the barrel 2| is provided with serrations 22, and the Wire coil insert 23 is provided with corresponding serrations 24 which may be produced either in the otherwise finished coil or in the straight wire prior to the ceiling. The serrations may be either axially directed or helically arranged with a very large pitch. They may be more in the character of roughenings than of relatively large teeth shown in Fig. 8 illustrating a serrated piece of wire and where the serrations are rather exaggerated for sake of a clearerillustration. Neither is it essential that the serrations of the wire when coiled l are perfectly aligned fromconvolution to con-- volution, or that the serrations of the one part .exactly intermesh with those of the other. On the contrary, certain irregularities may even be desirable, so that when the coil is forcibly inserted into the barrel the serrations or projections interlock rather than intermesh. In other respects, the

nut of Fig. 7 is similar to that of Fig. 1.

A third manner in which load forces may be directly transmitted from the, insert to the barrel wall is illustrated by Figs. 9 and 1Q. In this case, they barrel 3l is originally made accordingv to the shape of Fig. 6, that rmeans with a smooth cylindrical inner surface. The insert 32 is produced of a wire the cross-section of which differs from the insert 2 of Fig. 1 in that a triangular portion 3 6 is based on a trapezoidal portion 3l, the outer side 38 including other than` rectangles with the adjacent sides. The wire is so coiled that the outer faces of the convolutions constitute a cylinder which fits into the aforementioned barrel cylinder, and that the top face 39 is slightly conically raised as clearly shown in Fig. 10. The so shaped wire coil is inserted in the barrel. If now, the top rim 4l) is turned down upon the face 3S Vunder application of pressure cach convolution crosssection will tend to turn about its lower outside corner, so that the edges on which these corners are located will dig into the side wall of the barrel as indicated at l I This requires, of course,

that the wire is, as in most cases, of a material harder than that of the barrel. It will be noticed that the groove thus produced in the interior ci the barrel has the shape of a saw-tooth screw thread. It differs, however, from a threading provided in a conventional manner in that it is not formed by tapping and that the coil convolutions fit into the groove with an eXactness which could not be obtained if the barrel groove and the mating coil portionwere separately produced and the parts, then, screwed together. In the modification just described a groove 42 following the curve of the bottom flange may be provided in the barrel similarly to the groove I4 of Fig. 6. This groove will facilitate the tilting of the lowermost coil convolution so that the bottom face of the latter t will safely settle on the topsurface of the bottom ilange.. It will also be noted that the groove di in thenished nut will form a continuation of the groove d2. Y y

The nut according to my invention isv particu- I larly well adapted to be used as a lock nut. For

this purposathe coil maybemade of awire which Y varies as to its cross-sectional dimensions either throughout its length or through only part of its l length. rIhis is also shown in Fig. 9. In the illustrated embodiment, the cross-section of the wire of the coil 32 decreases in size in axial direction from the lower end towards the upper end of the coil whereby the pitch decreases. Furthermore, the size of the wire cross-section in radial direcs tion increases from the lower end towards the lthat many alterations and modifications of V the nut described and illustrated by way of example may be made without departing from my invention which is not limited by the particular disclosure of the embodiments thereof but by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A nut comprising a barrel with a cylindrical inner surface and embodying a top rim and a bottom ange both inwardly projecting, and a helical coil between said rim and said flange and having screw-thread-forming portions of its convolutions projecting inwardly from said rim and said flange, said coil convolutions being bonded to the wall of said barrel intermediate the ends of the coil.

2. A composite nut comprising a barrel having an inner cylindrical surface and including an interiorly projecting bottom iiange and a top rim, and a helical coil spring originally having spaced convolutions of a cross-section consisting of an outer rectangular portion and an inner portion of a shape according to the threading for the engagement of which the nut is destined, said coil being located interiorly of said barrel and being in an axially compressed state between said flange and said top rim, said top rim being turned inwardly upon said coil, the convolutions of said coil bearing with said rectangular p01'- tions one upon another and being radially pressed against said inner surface of said barrel owing to said axial'compression.

3. A nut comprising a barrel with a cylindrical inner surface and embodying a top rim and a bottom :dange both inwardly projecting, and a lhelical coil between said rim and, said flange and having screw-thread-forming' portions ofk its con' tions of its convolutions projecting inwardly from said rim and said flange, thetop surface of said coil being provided with indentations and material of said top rim being in engagement with said indentations. y, Y

5. A nut comprising a barrel with a substantially cylindrical and substantially lengthwise serrated inner surface and embodying a` top rim and a -bottomrange bothinwardly projecting, and an exteriorly serrated` helical coil between saidrim and said flange so as to engage with its serrations those of said barrel and having screwthread-forming portions of its convolutions projecting inwardly from said rim and saidflange.

6. A nut comprising a barrel with a substantiallycylindrical and substantially lengthwise serrated inner surface and embodying a top rim and a bottom flange both inwardly projecting, and a helical coil wound of wire having an outer v `serrated face, said coil being between saidv rim and said iiange so as to engage with its serra' tions those of said barrel and having screwthread-forming portions of its convolut'ions projecting inwardly from said rim and said ila-nge. f

7; A nut comprising a barrel with a cylindrical inner surface andembodying a top rim and aV bottom ange both inwardly projecting, and a helical coil interiorly of said barrelV between said rim and said ange, the cross-sections of the convolutions of saidrcoil having an outer trape- 'zoidal portion and an inner triangular portion, said coil being originally so wound that the outer sides of said trapezoidal portions constitute a cylinder, the rim of the barrel being forcibly turned down upon the top of said coil after the insertion of the coil in the barrel, and the outer lower edges of the coil convolutions being embedded in the barrel side wall owing t0 the pressure exerted by the rim on the coil.

8. A nut comprising a barrel with a cylindrical inner surface and embodying a top rim and a bottom ilange both inwardly projecting, and a helical coil between said rim and said ange and having screw-thread-forming portions of its convolutions projecting inwardly from said rim and said flange, and said barrel being provided on its inside with a narrow and shallow groove extending as to its width from the top surface of said ange upwards and running along said surface.

9. A nut comprising a barrel with a cylindrical inner surface and embodying a top rim and a bottom flange both inwardly projecting, and a helical coil between said rim and said flange and having screw-thread-forming portions of its convolutions projecting inwardly from said rim and said flan-ge, said flange having a helically curved top surface of a shape according to the bottom face of said coil, and said barrel being provided on its inside with a narrow and shallow helical groove extending as to its width from the top surface of said ange upwards and running along said surface.

10. A nut comprising a barrel with a cylindrical inner surface and embodying a top rim and a bottom flange both inwardly projecting, and a helical coil between said rim and said flange and having screw-thread-forming portions of its convolutions projecting inwardly from said rim and said flange, the material of the flanged barrel portion being of denser structure than the material of a portion on a level of the barrel above said flange.

11. A nut comprising a barrel with a cylindrical inner surface and embodying a top rim and a bottom flange both inwardly projecting, and a helical coil between said rim and said flange and having screw-thread-forming portions of its convolutions projecting inwardly from said rim and said flange, said barrel being of a material susceptible to a hardening treatment and its flanged portion being hardened prior to the insertion of said coil.

12. A nut comprising a barrel with a cylindrical inner surface and embodying a, top rim and a bottom flange both inwardly projecting, and a helical coil between said rim and said ange and having screw-thread-forming portions of its convolutions projecting inwardly from said rim and said'iiange, said barrel being of a material susceptible to a hardening treatment and having a hardened bottom portion, a relatively soft top portion, and a median portion progressing in hardness from the softness of the top portion to the hardness of the bottom portion.

13. A nut comprising a barrel with a cylindrical inner surface and embodying a top rim and a bottom flange both inwardly projecting, and a helical coil between said rim and said ilange and having screw-thread-forming portions of its convolutions projecting inwardly from said rim and said ange, said coil having 4a helically curved bottom face and said flange having a helically curved top surface of a shape according to the bottom face of said coil, said barrel being of a material susceptible to a hardening treatment and being provided on its inside with a narrow and shallow helical groove extending as to its width from the top surface of said flange upwards and running along said surface, and the flanged `barrel portion being hardened prior to the insertion of said coil.

14. A nut comprising a barrel with a cylindrical surface and embodying a top rim and a bottom ange both inwardly projecting, and a helical wire coil clamped between said rim and said flange and having screw-thread-forming portions of its convolutions projecting inwardly from said rim and said iiange, the wire of which said coil is wound, tapering in at least one of its cross-sectional dimensions through at least a portion of its length.

15. A nut as claimed in claim 14 wherein said wire tapers in one cross-sectional dimension in a direction from the top of the nut towards the bottom and in another cross-sectional dimension in the opposite direction.

16. A nut comprising a casing having a cylindrical inner surface and having inwardly projecting integral top and bottom flanges, and a resilient helical coil between said anges and having screw thread-forming portions on the inside and projecting inwardly relative to said flanges, the material of the casing which forms the bottom flange and the zone adjacent thereto being of denser structure than the material of the casing above the bottom iiange.

O'I'I'O HAAS. 

